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  #21  
Old Posted Oct 6, 2010, 8:16 PM
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If they do end up moving to Ancaster, honestly, best of luck to them. From what I've seen of the festival, the crowds there are not by and large the types of people who would be able, or want to go to Ancaster. The festival would essentially be changing its demographic, like the Ticats are attempting to do. Maybe it'll work, but they're going to have to give up a a reliable customer base to find out.
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  #22  
Old Posted Oct 6, 2010, 8:28 PM
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The festival would essentially be changing its demographic, like the Ticats are attempting to do. Maybe it'll work, but they're going to have to give up a a reliable customer base to find out.
A UK music festival I frequented (as both punter and perfomer over the years) changed its demographic and lost its core base in recent years, with no ill effect in terms of numbers.

However, it was an event that people travelled to due to location anyway - and wasn't free - which are two factors that I think the organisers would need to keep in mind.

Would FoF stay a free festival on the new site? Would it actually matter, if they're looking to shift the demographic (which would be inevitable, I guess). Depending on whether you consider the parking fees to be part of a de facto attendance fee, maybe they can charge a minimal amount and cite free widespread parking as a benefit.

Personally, the current location is great for me - and we enjoyed heading down and checking it out one evening this year (yay! finally got to see Richie Havens at last - although no "Going back to my roots" was a disappointment, but that's another thing entirely).

The line-up seemes to be a weird mix of older established names and presumably local bands - it'll be interesting to see how sustainable that is in any new incarnation.

In any case, I get the feeling Supercrawl (which I sadly couldn't make) and its afterparties at least offers something to downtown Hamilton if FoF leaves its current location.

Also, is there seriously no scope at all for other events to be put on in Gage Park - irrespective of FoF's future there?
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  #23  
Old Posted Oct 6, 2010, 8:52 PM
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This is a tempest in a teapot. Festival of Friends is not going anywhere. It is no coincidence that Lieberman is making these threats during election season, and that certain parties are trying to give the rumours traction during campaign time.

Frankly, as someone who has attended FoF for more years that I care to admit to, I have to say the artistic contribution FoF makes to this city has diminished steadily over the years to its current point of relative inconsequence. Unless you consider corn dogs, funnel cakes, and t-shirts with kitten appliques artistically noteworthy of course. While the musical lineups are still somewhat interesting, they don't have the range of style and entertainment quality they once had (at least in my opinion). I find FoF of late rather stale. If it was to leave or relocate, it would give the opportunity to bring a fresh approach to an August arts and entertainment event for the park. Heck, with any luck, its replacement would be organized by someone who respects the condition of the urban park and would work with the city to maintain it and the surrounding neighbourhood.
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  #24  
Old Posted Oct 7, 2010, 1:55 AM
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This debate is getting good! Pass the popcorn...

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  #25  
Old Posted Oct 7, 2010, 4:09 PM
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While I do like the festival of friends, coming from London Ontario originally, the Home County Folk Fesitval in Victoria Park there is now a much more authentic festival. Lots of stages, workshops, etc. and that festival ensures that all vendors (excepting some of the usual fair type foods of course) are local craft makers. It's been a few years since I've been to HCFF though but it also never had alcohol sales so it kept a more family atmosphere, even in the late evening.
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  #26  
Old Posted Oct 8, 2010, 10:19 AM
bornagainbiking bornagainbiking is offline
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Good Riddance

If they want to go to Ancaster, have fun. the urban density of the area of Gage park and surrounding area is alot more than out there. I rode my bike to Gage park as did my kids. Many walk and the buses are on two sides. On main routes.
What is the question here? Parking, What a bunch of cheap skates the real issue is FREE parking. So the locals forfeit their regular spaces that they pay taxes towards and have grown to rely on.
There are several lots available the one at the warehouse at Lawrence and Gage, the tennis court for charity and the baseball diamonds for charity. But it is tooo expensive to fork out $5-$7 bucks. What the organizers could do if they were worried about attendence, they could convince the on-site parking providers to charge less and get more people.
This FoF and all the other festivals down there are crap.
second rate entertainment (except a couple nights), crap stands and an over-priced beer tent serving a buck a beer for $4. Price gouging.
You want to move it out of town Good luck. The people I see there will not go or are able to go. This carnival is the only one these kids see.
Move to Discovery Centre or Bayfront.
Talk about weak threats. Just go. Maybe it is better to start from scratch.

Last edited by bornagainbiking; Oct 8, 2010 at 10:21 AM. Reason: add
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  #27  
Old Posted Oct 8, 2010, 3:47 PM
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Loren Leiberman will speak to the Committee of the Whole on October 12th, "respecting the future of Festival of Friends”.
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  #28  
Old Posted Jan 5, 2011, 12:24 AM
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Looks like it's happening.....

Breaking up is hard to do — it’s over between Festival of Friends and Gage Park
P. Morse
The Hamilton Spectator
http://www.thespec.com/news/local/ar...-and-gage-park

Hamilton’s TD Festival of Friends, the largest free music festival in Ontario, has ended its 35-year history with Gage Park.

Festival board of director Tara Crugnale, chairperson of the board’s venue transition team, confirmed Tuesday the festival will move to a larger location in Ancaster.

“The simple truth is that we have grown beyond Gage Park,” Crugnale said. “It provided us an awesome home for many years, but we have to grow.

“No one is going to say it was an easy decision. The board took a lot of time going over the positives and negatives, and at the end of the day we had to look at the confines of Gage Park.”

The festival formally informed city officials last month of its move to the Ancaster Fairgrounds at the corner of Highways 53 and 52, just south of Highway 403. A staff information report will be presented to elected officials at the emergency and community services committee meeting on Jan. 19.

Councillor Bernie Morelli, whose Ward 3 includes Gage Park, says he reluctantly agrees the park isn’t big enough for the festival anymore.

“I don’t want to see them leave the park, but it really is a growth issue,” he said Tuesday.

Morelli said it’s clear the festival has become a larger and more sophisticated operation.

“The Festival of Friends outgrowing the park is not something I’m pleased about in some respects, but they’re a great organization that has continued to grow.”

He said several plans are in the works for smaller music events in the park throughout the summer.

City culture officials say the festival has been working closely with them to provide transition details.

“I’m pleased that they wish to stay in Hamilton because it certainly is part of our history, and we have to respect that they are making a business decision,” said director of culture Anna Bradford. “Festival of Friends and Gage Park are intertwined; however, it really is up to them in where (the festival) needs to go.”

Because the move to Ancaster keeps the festival in Hamilton, any annual grants from the city wouldn’t be affected, Bradford said.

City staffers say a key problem is that festival crowds are putting an increasing pressure on a primary Gage Park Master Plan priority to protect trees in the city’s crown jewel park.

Protected trees restriction zones, particularly directly behind the band shell “means Festival of Friends has had to make permanent changes to their footprint that they’re not keen to do,” said Jennifer Kaye, city manager of arts and events.

Kaye said parking became an issue last year that the city was able to work out with the festival by implementing a special events parking plan in the neighbourhood east of the park.

“It’s mostly an example of the increasing lack of compatibility between an event of that scale in a residential neighbourhood,” she said. “More complaints are coming in. The festival is getting more complaints, the councillors are getting more complaints.”

Festival general manager Loren Lieberman said the festival is projected to hit a 2011 budget of $1.4 million — $420,000 to book the acts, $840,000 for production costs that include stage, sound and festival facilities, and $140,000 in salaries and administration.

“Our revenue streams have been maxed out at Gage Park,” Lieberman said. “The more money we bring in, the more money we spend on musical acts.”

Lieberman said the event is increasingly drawing crowds in excess of 30,000 to its mainstage night concerts.

“Our big nights are really big,” with Finger Eleven packing in close to 50,000 fans in 2009, he said. By comparison, the largest crowds in the 1980s would have reached around 20,000.

Ancaster Fairgrounds has parking for more than 5,000 vehicles, a 30,000-square-foot main building, a 36,000-square-foot show ring and close to a dozen outbuildings. The fairgrounds also have a paved bus loop for transit buses.

“This is a win-win-win” for Hamilton, Ancaster and the festival, Ancaster Councillor Lloyd Ferguson said Tuesday. “I am going to do whatever I can to make it a success.”

Ferguson said he plans to work with other councillors to advocate for free shuttle buses to take festivalgoers from Gage Park, downtown Hamilton and points on the Mountain to the fairgrounds.
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  #29  
Old Posted Jan 5, 2011, 12:52 AM
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Kinda crappy, but at least there is public transit access.
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  #30  
Old Posted Jan 5, 2011, 3:20 AM
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Great. A 1½-bus ride back after an 11 pm end to a concert. No going for a walk down the street to a place for a drink after either.
But I guess this is centrally located for the people in Brantford.
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  #31  
Old Posted Jan 5, 2011, 11:01 AM
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Gutsy move

What is really there, at the Festival? Second rate vendors or a crappy carnival. I used to drop in maybe once. I looked in the beer tent and it was all locals, who were walking.
I don't see this as a good decision and maybe the festival is losing it's perspective. A local festival for the inner city people. Walkability.
Again it's all about parking. Wonder how much they will charge for parking. Another buck to be made. People are just cheap, Wow $5-$7 for Gage park, but people will risk a $30 ticket to squeeze into a residentual area and block off some homeowner, then have the nerve to whine about it when they get caught. For Pete's sake fill the car and split the $7. People love to gamble but hate to lose.
I was at an NFL game in a city and the $5 parking normally had signs overtop for anywhere from $20 to $35. People carpooled and tailgated, they even had shor-buses converted for this reason a self-propelled party.
I see that this festival will move out there and another one will emerge at Bayfront or the discovery centre, maybe bring back aquafest.
The kids need something in the city, maybe use allthose new parking lots near the HGH. It is a week-end and a holiday.
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  #32  
Old Posted Jan 5, 2011, 1:18 PM
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Great, something else moving from the lower city to the suburbs.
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  #33  
Old Posted Jan 5, 2011, 2:01 PM
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Kinda crappy, but at least there is public transit access.
There is? Ancaster in general is poorly served, and this is rural to Ancaster.

How many of the 200,000 people that attended last year drove? What percentage of them are willing to drive to Ancaster?
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  #34  
Old Posted Jan 5, 2011, 2:22 PM
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I'm kind of confused as to how the Ancaster Fairgrounds should even be allowed to host this kind of festival. The fairgrounds are in the 'rural' area which is fine for the Ancaster Fair, which, at least theoretically is a agriculturally related type event with animal shows, horse riding, farm demonstrations and such. A 3 day music festival with beer tents doesn't really seem to be the type of use envisioned when the city allowed the new fairgrounds to be built outside the urban boundary. Don't get me wrong, I don't care that much either way, but it seems kind of weird.
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  #35  
Old Posted Jan 5, 2011, 2:43 PM
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Somehow I doubt longtime Festival of Friends attendees are going to take an hour and a half bus ride out to rural Ancaster. Is this what festival organizers are banking on?
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  #36  
Old Posted Jan 5, 2011, 4:02 PM
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Somehow I doubt longtime Festival of Friends attendees are going to take an hour and a half bus ride out to rural Ancaster. Is this what festival organizers are banking on?
You mean people aren't clamoring to see that guy that used to be in Barenaked Ladies open for that guy that used to be in The Ramones?
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  #37  
Old Posted Jan 5, 2011, 5:16 PM
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I wonder how many people will actually drive or take the bus to Ancaster for this? I know I wouldn't bother.
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  #38  
Old Posted Jan 5, 2011, 11:23 PM
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Honestly my first reply to this was exactly the "great, it's going to to the middle of nowhere with crappy transit access" but I held back when the end of the article mentioned free shuttles from downtown and Gage Park.

Even still that's no excusing that this is clearly another one of those decisions to appeal to those who want the "driveway to driveway experience".
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  #39  
Old Posted Jan 5, 2011, 11:28 PM
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Even still that's no excusing that this is clearly another one of those decisions to appeal to those who want the "driveway to driveway experience".
Make no mistake, "Driveway to driveway experience" is a euphemism for "avoid dirty Hamilton and its poor people." I know I've been harsh lately, but it's getting worse. Lower Hamilton is going to end up like Detroit, except instead of race, it's class.
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  #40  
Old Posted Jan 6, 2011, 12:26 AM
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Gage Park will be better off without the FOF. There's now an opportunity to present a festival that harkens back to the original intentions of FOF. I understand the creative forces behind The Pearl Company are already working on a festival to replace it.
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